Lacing hook or stud.



E. H. ROBERTSON.

LAOING HOOK OR STUD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21, 1912.

1,090,942. Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

anuzwtoz EDWARD H. ROBERTSON, OF IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM F. MAHONY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

LACING HOOK OR STUD.

T0 (ZZZ whom it mail concern Be it known that I, EDWARD H. Ronnn'r- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Irvington, in the county of Newark and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lacing Hooks or Studs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lacing hooks or studs for shoes, gloves and other garments in which a lacing is used to secure the meeting edges of such articles asare capable of being fastened in this manner.

The present invention comprises an eyelet like body designed to be attached in the usual way to the part to be fastened and on which is hinged the fastening hook opening toward the edge of said part and having a bill on its free end to enter the eyelet when closed by the lacing and be held therein by the pull or tension of said lacing so that no part of the hook is exposed which can catch in the garments of the wearer and tear or fray them. a

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter de scribed in detail set forth in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a shoe with the invention applied thereto; Fig.2 is a perspective view of the complete lacing hook or stud; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views of the lacing hook or stud showing the hook proper in different positions; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pivoted hook; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the eyelet; Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a modified form of the eyelet; Figs. 2 to 8 are drawn on an enlarged scale to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Inthe drawings, 10 indicates the lacing hook or stud attached to an article 11 which is to be fastened by a lacing or lacings 12. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the lacing studs 10 are shown in use on a shoe and will be so referred to throughout the specification' Each lacin hook or stud 10 comprises an eyelet or 110 low rivet 13 inserted in a hole in the shoe upper 11 near its meeting edge and upset or spread on the inner side in the usual manner. Pivoted on the rim of the eyelet 13 is a curved lacing hook or member 14 to be described Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 21, 1912.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914. Serial No. 679,164.

later. The eyelets 13 are similar in appearance to the ordinary eyelet but different therefrom in having an annular shoulder 15 within the eyelet at or about the point where the flaring portion of the eyelet merges into the body or cylindrical part, as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. The shoulder 15 may be formed by turning or bendlng inwardly upon itself the flaring portion 16 of the eyelet, as in Figs. 3, 4 and 5; or forming a shoulder 15 from the solid metal (see Fig. 8) by pressing, stamping or other suitable means. An opening 17 is made in the flaring portion of the eyelet 13 near its rim 18, leaving sutiicient metal between said opening and the edge of the rim to form a pivot 19 for the lacing hook or member 14. The lacing hook or member 14 is made of a strip of sheet metal bent longitudinally in the segment of a circle or substantially so, and having a slight curve transversely intermediate its ends. One end of the lacing hook or member 14 is reduced in width and bent to form an eye 20 around the pivot portion 19 on the eyelet, thus hinging the parts together. The opposite end or bill 21 of the lacing member is curved outwardly, as shown, and preferably rounded on its eX- tremity. Just back of the point where the bill 21 begins to curve outwardly are two notches 22 one in each edge of the lacing member or hook 14 (see Figs. 2 and 6).

The lacing studs constructed as described, are secured on a shoe or other article in such position that the hinged connections 19, 20 will be on the sides of the eyelets farthest from the meeting edges of the shoes, so that when the hooks are swung open their openings will face said meeting edges and be in position to receive the lacing or lacings 12. When it is desired to lace a shoe provided with the improved lacing studs, the lacing members 14 must be in their open position, as in Fig. 3. The lacing 12 is then inserted in each member 14 back of the bill 21 where it catches in one of the notches A forward movement or movement toward the meeting edge of the shoe upper is then given the lacing 12 which causes the member 14 to swing into the position shown in Fig. 4, with the bill 21 resting on the shoulder 15, and the lacing 12 engaging both notches 22 in the lacing hook. A further pull on the lacing draws the bill 21 downward, causing it to spring inwardly past the shoulder 15 and descend into the eyelet, the lacing member assuming its final position as indicated in Fig. 5. The lacing hook or member being thus closed and the pull or strain of the lacing being in a straight line through the hinge, the bill 21 will be held within the eyelet13. The notches 22 in which the lacing is caught are, in this closed position, in line with the rim 18 of the eyelet and prevent said lacing from slipping upward on the hook 1 1, or the latter from swinging open under any external force that is liable to be exerted on said hook. By an upward pull on the lacing the bill 21 is Withdrawn from the eyelet, said bill springing inwardly as it passes the shoulder 15 and the lacing hook or member opens to its fullest extent (see Fig. 4) and permits the removal of the lacing.

. From what has been said, it will be apparent that while the lacing hook or member is pivoted to open in the direction of the pull of the lacing, said hook or member is so constructed and arranged with respect to its axis of movement that it is held with increasing firmness in a closed position as the pull of the lacing increases, and that by having a shoulder to temporarily restrain the bill during the closing movement of the hook or member and thereby causing the bill to spring inwardly before complete closure of the hook, the latter will not readily open should the lacing be loosened for some particular purpose, but will remain closed until the lacing is drawn in a direction away from the lacing stud 10.

While the shoulder 15 is shown completely encircling the eyelet, this is not absolutely necessary as a short shoulder suflicientonly to engage with the bill may be provided, but by having an annular shoulder, the opening 17 may be made at any part of the flaring portion 16.

It is evident that various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made and all such changes that come within the spirit of the invention are to be considered as modifications thereof and included in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A lacing stud comprising a tubular body designed to be fastened in an article to be laced and a resilient lacing hook or member hinged at one end to said body, its other tree end opening on the side subjected to the lacing strain and adapted to engage and hold a lacing, the extreme end. of said lacing member being drawn within said tubular body by the act of lacing and retained therein by the tension of the, lacing.

2. A lacing stud comprising a hollow body designed to be fastened in an opening in an article to be laced, and a resilient lacing hook or member hinged at one end to said body, its other free end opening on the side subjected to the lacing strain and 'adapted to engage and hold a lacing, the extreme end of said lacing member normally engaging the edge of said hollow body when swung into closed position by the-act of lacing and sprung into said hollow body and retained therein by the tension of the lacing. I

3. A lacing stud comprising a body in the form of an eyelet to be fastened in an article to be laced, and a resilient lacing hook hinged at one end to said body and opening at its free end on the side subject to the lacing strain, said free end arranged to strike the edge of said eyelet when the hook is closed by the act-of lacing, and through the resiliency of said hook, said free end will swing past said edge and spring into the eyelet under the tension of the lacing and be held therein by the lacing and by said edge from freely swinging away therefrom when the lacing becomes loose.

4:. A lacing stud comprising 'a hollow body adapted to be fastened in an article to be laced, and having an interior shoulder, and

a lacing-hook member hinged to said body, its free end having a bill'th-ereon to resiliently engage said shoulder when closing the lacing-hook member, said member opening to disengage a lacing on the side subject to the strain of said lacing.

5. A lacing stud comprising a hollow eyelet-like body having an annular shoulder within the same, and a segmental lacingand opening in the direction of the lacing strain, said lacing-hook member having a reversely curved bill at its free end adapted to spring into the body past the shoulder when the member is closed and prevent unintentional opening of the lacing-hook member. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDW'ARD H. ROBERTSON.

WVitnesses EDWARD HARTPENOE, HERMAN SCI-IARRINGHAUSEN.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

hook member hinged on the rim of said body V 

